Justin:
I didn’t fully recognize my artistic side until about the second semester of my junior year of high school (I just graduated this summer, and start college classes this week), even though looking back I realize I’ve been doing this kind of stuff since I was little. I still don’t really feel like an „artist“ because of all the things people associate with that label, and I’ve never been taught art before – I’ve taught myself everything I know. Simply put, I enjoy making things that look good. So I accept the fact that I’m an artist, but not to an incredibly large extent. I think I’m constantly straddling the line between artist and „normal,“ if that makes sense.

Elle:
I love you minimalistic posters. When do you get your best ideas?

Justin:
Thanks! While I don’t know where I get my best ideas from, I do know that my best work has come from ideas that I’ve let sit in my head for awhile. When I get an idea for a project, I’m really excited about it so I get to work right away. Sometimes I nail it right off the bat, other times it looks like garbage, but I can tell when I have a quality idea when I see the potential there and won’t stop coming back to it, regardless of the first few results. Sometimes it just takes a little patience to be able to hit that breakthrough moment. I had been conceptualizing the Truth and Lies posters for about three or four months before I finally got to work on it. My first couple of attempts were pretty bad, but after letting it rest for awhile, I came back to it and knew I had gotten it right.

Elle:
What is your next project?

Justin:
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel pressure for my next project to be equally as successful as my Truth and Lies poster series has been, but I’m not sure that’s entirely realistic. It’s hard to come up with a concept that appeals to such a wide audience, specifically one that encompasses qualities that not only the design community will appreciate but also your next door neighbor. I have a few ideas in my head already, but I’d rather keep them under wraps for now.

Justin:
Thank you so much for featuring and interviewing me! Hopefully I’ll be invited back many times in the future.